SHOT Show: Hands-On With The Mantis Snaggletooth

Morgan Thomas’ Mantis ‘Snaggletooth’ is no ordinary EDC knife. It’s part knuckle-duster, part kubotan and part kerambit, and it’s got the shortest blade I’ve ever seen on such a menacing-looking knife. And it weighs more than a half-pound.

The Snaggletooth’s 2.5″ blade is made from MVX high-carbon steel, and is modeled after the tooth of the snaggletooth shark. (Not being a sharkologist, I admit I have to take Thomas’ word for this.)

The knife is designed around Thomas’ unique close-combat system, and provides for a variety of lethal knife strikes as well as non-lethal impact and compliance blows and holds. The blade can be opened with a flipper stud, or by sweeping the prominent triangular protrusion against your leg.

The price for this nine ounce beast is $140. Click here for the manufacturer’s link.

I stay away from Mantis as a rule. Never trusted their quality, marketing strategies, or integrity. Anyway, that design sure has ‘borrowed’ a lot of features from Bram Frank’s designs. Perhaps the designer is a student of Mr. Frank?